This new solid state EV battery can be fully charged in just 5 minutes
I stopped by the report for Donut Laba startup from Finland specializing in electric mobility. The company (which takes its name from its flagship donut-shaped electric vehicle motor on wheels) announced at CES the launch of what it calls the first solid-state battery for production vehicles.
Solid-state batteries are different from lithium-ion batteries (which are used by the majority of EVs) in that they use solid and not liquid electrolytes. They are supposed to offer much higher energy density (more bang for your buck, so to speak) and better safety, and degrade less than Li-ion batteries. On top of all that, Donut says its battery can be fully charged in a matter of minutes.
Charging times obviously vary between vehicles and models, but five minutes is, you know, pretty quick. Donut claims that, with the long-range version of its battery, a rider can travel up to 600 kilometers on a single charge. The company also says its battery eliminates many of the causes of battery fires, as SSB remains stable in extreme temperatures and contains no flammable liquid. As a result, it is supposed to work better in cold environments (cold weather is known to reduce the range capability of several EVs).
The donut is subsidiary of Verge Motorcycles. Verge Motorcycle co-founder and former CTO Marko Lehtimaki is the co-founder and CEO of Donut Lab. Lehtimaki is not new to the startup scene. He has founded a number of companies, including the no-code software startup AppGyver, which was acquired by SAP in 2021.
Donut’s new SSBs will be introduced on Verge bikes early this year, the companies said this week. Batteries will be built into Verge’s Verge TS Pro and Verge TS Ultra. At its presentation, the company showcased a number of other collaborative vehicles that will soon have the batteries built into them.
